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UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

FRANCIS D. HAYWARD AND JOHN G. BIOKFORD, OF OOLOHESTER, CONN.

PROCESS OF ROLLING INDIA-RUBBER CLOTH.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that we, FRANCIS D. HAYWARD and JOHN (J. BIGKFORD, ofGolchester, in the county of New London and State of Connecticut, haveinvented a new and useful processher) and a quantity of groundindiarubber (when, in a tacky or adhesive state, in which it is afterbeing ground or reduced by the usual process of grinding crudecaoutchouc)aud running or passing the same together (the caoutchoucbeing on one side of the cloth) between two cylinders or rollers,(placed with their axes parallel and their curved surfaces in contact,or nearly so,) and in such manner that while the upper of the saidrollers, or that in contact with the caoutchouc, is made to revolve at agreater speed or velocity than the lower one, it (the said upper roller,or that in contact with the caoutchouc) shall spread and grind it, as itwere, into the cloth and below, and fix it tothat surface of it which isimmediately contiguous to said roller--viz., that roller which revolvesat the greatest speed.

We are aware that by means of two rollers or cylinders indie-rubber hasbeen spread upon cloth or other material and made to adhere to it bysimple pressure, the said rollers having been revolved at the samevelocity, and they serving only to spread the gum over the surface andpress it down thereupon. In such case, in order to give the rubber thepower of adhering to the cloth, it requires first to be dissolved orsoftened by spirits of turpentine or some-other equivalent solvent. Ourprocess of moving or revolving one of the rollers faster than the othergrinds the rubber into and down upon.the cloth and so thoroughly fixesit thereto. as to render it impossible to peel it therefrom, whereas bythelold process it can readily be peeled ofi. Besidesthis, we areenabled to dispense with the use of spirits of turpentine or anychemical solvent such as is generally used to give the rubber theproperties required to cause it to adhere to the cloth.

We do not claim the mere spreading of in die-rubber on cloth by means ofrollers moving at equal velocities; nor do we'claim the running ofrollers at diflereut velocities, as the same have been operatedheretofore and for the purpose of planishing or polishing a hardsurface-such as that of a plate of metal-or for grinding or reducing anysubstance even between them; but

What we do claim is The new or improved process of applying and. fixingrubber to cloth by means; of rollers, the said improved process being acombina tion of the method of spreading the rubber by the pressure ofrollers and the method of grinding and fixing it at the same timeagainst and into the substance of the cloth, all as specified.

In testimony whereof we have hereto set our signatures this 29th day ofJanuary, A. D.

